Despite all
that went wrong on my Arizona Trip, I still managed to achieve my primary goal
of visiting the two former Toronto PCCs down in Tucson
and Phoenix which left me with two more
PCCs to visit. The last two cars were owned by the McKinney Avenue Transit
Authority in DallasTexas,
but stored in the DART LRT yard which made me dubious of when I’d be able to
see them.

However,
while I was planning my Arizona
trip, my friend Greg had suggested that I could ask if it was possible to see
the cars in the DART yard, (as well as to fly to/from Arizona!)
On my Arizona trip, when I was
being bused from San Antonio to Dallas
to try to meet up with the Texas Eagle, I thought that if we didn’t make it, I
could try to see the PCCs then. However, I made the connection to the Eagle and
I decided to wait.

I finally
decided to go to Dallas in January
of 2009. I planned my trip around the schedule of the Texas Eagle as to prevent
coming home the day it connected with the Sunset Limited. However, Air Canada
was having a seat sale which saved more than $20.00 one way, so I decided to
fly home and save some money. My final plan was to ride the Maple Leaf to Syracuse
and connect to the Lakeshore Limited there. I would ride the Lakeshore Limited
to Chicago and transfer to the
Texas Eagle. I would spend four nights in Dallas
before flying home. This trip started the same day as an important event in
U.S./world history: The inauguration of Barack Obama, the first
African-American to be elected president of the United
States.

January 20, 2009:

I got to
Finch at 7:15 am and got on the
subway. I boarded an H-5 train. When I got to Union, I attempted to film the
train departing, but two TTC special {stupid} constables said not to because
the flash blinds the drivers. I tried to tell them that I wasn’t and they said
I needed a permit and wouldn’t listen otherwise. This is because:

1.I was not using the flash on my camera.

2.I was filming a video.

3.TTC rule 16b clearly states that a permit is needed
only for COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY.
It says nothing about private photography. If they had changed it, you would
think the TTC would have updated their by-laws considering they updated the
subway maps after extensions of the subway opened in short order.

Still peeved from my encounter with
the TTC stupid constables, I headed up to Union station to await the boarding
of the Maple Leaf.

Soon,
boarding commenced. I was seated in Amfleet 2 coach #25113, a refurbished coach
with a blue and white interior, digital display boards, and AC outlets. The
train left on time. As we passed VIA’s Toronto
Maintenance Centre, I filmed it. I also noticed a lot of stored GO Transit
F59PH’s in GO Transit’s Willowbrook yard.

Just like on
my Boston trip, P42 #106 was
leading the train today. The train stopped at Oakville,
Aldershot, and Grimsby.
I was given a card to fill out prior to crossing the boarder. We stopped at St.
Catherines, we soon departed. We were soon underway again and stopped in Niagara
Falls. When we arrived into Niagara
Falls, I saw two Niagara Transit Classics parked in
the back of the yard. One of them was 8372.I did not take any photos of them.

The train
departed and crossed into the United States.
At Niagara FallsNew York,
customs came on. I was interviewed by a man who I found to be all right and not
as anal as the woman who interviewed me on my Arizona Make-up trip.

Soon
the inspection was finished. However we weren’t allowed onto the platform. From
the train, I photographed Amtrak P42 #189 parked by itself on a side track.

For the
first time since my Arizona trip,
the Maple Leaf left Niagara FallsNew
York on time! I went to the café car for lunch.We stopped at Buffalo-Exchange
Street station.

We passed
CSX’s Frontier yard where I saw a work train with a caboose. Unfortunately I
was unable to film it. This was the first time since I rode the Adirondack
in 2008 that I saw a train with a caboose. I also filmed four brand new Metro
North locomotives in the yard. I also caught a glimpse of some Metro North
commuter coaches in the yard.

The train
then stopped at Buffalo Depew station. Outside of Rochester
station, we stopped to let Amtrak train 63 pass. As it passed, I filmed it. We
soon stopped at Rochester. After we
left, I looked for evidence of the derailed freight cars that delayed my friend
Bill’s Maple Leaf two weeks earlier. Not too surprisingly, I didn’t see any.

As we
approached Syracuse, I filmed some
heavyweight coaches and two E-units painted in Erie Lackawanna colours. Outside
of the station, we stopped to let train 281 pass. I filmed it passing.

We arrived
into Syracuse 26 minutes late, but
that wasn’t the half of it. First, the conductor tried opening the door on our
coach, but it didn’t open. Next, he tried to open the door on Amfleet 2 coach #
25051 in front of us, and again it wouldn’t open! The conductor remarked,
“Amtrak, unsafe at any speed!”

The
conductor was finally able to open the door on the first coach which was Amfleet
1 Capstone rebuild car #82728 and I got off. I then walked to the end of the
platform and photographed the train.

The train
soon departed. As it departed, I filmed it pulling out. I then took a picture
of the rear of the train with a lot of snow that had accumulated on the rear of
the last coach.

I then went
inside the station and phoned home. I then took a bus to the CarouselCenter
mall. When I got there, I photographed the bus.

I
went inside the mall and looked around for awhile. I eventually bought dinner.
After awhile, I decided to go back to the Amtrak station. I caught a bus back
there and shortly after I returned, I saw Amtrak train #283 pull in led by
P32AC-DM #701. I have seen the unit on a number of previous trips. I took some
photos of train 283.

I
then headed up to the platform and took some more pictures of train 283.

Just
to the west of the station was a broken down freight train. As a result train 283
had to back out of the station and switch over to depart. I filmed the train
backing out and took a photo of the engine.

Train
283 raced past a few minutes later. I went back inside and called Julie. First,
I found out the Lakeshore Limited was 19 minutes late. 19 minutes late soon
became 39 minutes late. Next, the train was 45 minutes late.

While I was
waiting, I watched the TVs in the station covering the inauguration of
Barack Obama. The Lakeshore Limited finally arrived 72
minutes late. When it arrived, I photographed the train.

I
was seated in Amfleet 2 coach #25083, another refurbished coach. My ticket was
soon taken and we eventually backed out as the stalled freight train was still
there. I decided to walk the train to find my friend Bill who I had first met
on the Lakeshore Limited in 2005 returning home from Chicago after
riding the Three Rivers. I had to walk five cars back to find Bill as the
Lakeshore once again splits at Albany to go to Boston and New York.

When
I found Bill, I sat down and caught up with him from the last two weeks and
told him that the H-4 and H-5 subway trains in Toronto may
have been given a brief reprieve as the new trains are now to arrive in 2010.

Seated
across from us was a woman who kept belching every 10 or so seconds. I
eventually dubbed her “Belchy”. After awhile, I decided to go back to my coach
to get some rest and to avoid “Belchy”. I pulled out the blanket I bought on
the Three Rivers back in 2005 and tried to get some rest.

January
21, 2009:

I
woke up as we stopped at Buffalo-Depew station. We left shortly thereafter.
Soon, we were racing down the line. The coach was bouncy and shaky; almost like
I was riding in an Ontario Northland ex GO coach on the Northlander instead of
an Amfleet 2 coach. At times, it seemed like the train had either hit something
or the coach was on the verge of derailing. I did manage to get partially back
to sleep.

A
little while later, we stopped in Cleveland. I
only saw one taxi which was not from Yellow Cab, (the company I used on my
Cleveland Make-up trip) or the taxi company that made me miss the Lakeshore
Limited on my Washington-Cleveland trip. Cleveland was a
smoking stop, so I stepped off and took some photos of the train.

I
got back on the train and we soon departed. I laid down for awhile until we
were arriving into Toledo where I once again photographed the train.

I
got back on the train and laid down for a little while after we left. I then
changed and went to breakfast in the diner-lite car six cars back. I had the
continental breakfast and the cereal came with a bowl as it should.

After I
paid for my meal, I went back to my seat. The train stopped at Bryan,
Ohio and Waterloo,
Indiana. By now, Bill was awake and I went
over to see him. Belchy was still on the train, but asleep. As we approached Elkhart,
I managed to film part of the New YorkCentralMuseum
before a freight train got in my shot.

Bill and I
told train stories. I told him how when I was in the third grade, my family had
gone to Dearborn, Michigan for a weekend and I got a penny that had been run
over by a Chicago bound Amtrak train and a few days later, I brought it to
school for show and tell! I also told him about how when I was in high school,
some of us would walk to a nearby Wendy’s for lunch which was right near the CN
main line. Sometimes, other people would throw their garbage at passing freight
trains and one time, someone from my school actually climbed on top of a
covered hopper car on a stopped train and threw something inside the car!

The train
stopped at South Bend, Indiana.
Soon, we were approaching Chicago.
We passed a local freight with a caboose on the end. “Belchy” was now awake and
said what sounded like a prayer, then started burping again every few seconds.
I then attempted to go back to my coach, but I thought I was blocked at the
café car, so I got the conductor who got me back to my coach.

Instead of
fronting into Chicago like I had
done the last three times I rode train 49 into Chicago,
the train was wyed and backed into the station. The last train that was wyed as
it entered Chicago was the Three
Rivers!

As we
passed by Amtrak’s 14th Street
Yard, I filmed it. I even saw a Pacific Surfliner coach in the yard! This is
especially rare to see in Chicago
as they run in southwestern California!

With the
backup move, train 49 arrived into Chicago
one hour late. I got off and took some photos of the train.

I also photographed
a train consisting of a P42, A Superliner transition car, a Superliner sleeping
car, a Superliner diner-lounge, and two Superliner coaches including a
coach-baggage. I thought it was the City of New Orleans
as this is what the train looks like.

I then went
into the station and stored my belongings in a locker. I then went out to do a
little bit of transit riding in Chicago
before boarding the Texas Eagle. I figured this may be my last chance to ride
the 2200 series el cars in Chicago.
I walked over to the Clinton
station. I bought a ticket and I saw Bill was also there. I then went down to
the platform expecting to see Bill in a few hours time.

For my
brief ride, I decided to cover some new trackage I haven’t covered on the El. I
boarded a Forest Park Blue line train. When the train arrived, I saw there was
a set of 2200s as the 3rd and 4th cars. I photographed
the 2200s.

I rode to
the El station named Western and got off and photographed the 2200s.

I filmed the
train departing and waited for a train to take me back to Clinton.
A few minutes later, a train arrived with another set of 2200 series El cars
which I photographed.

I rode back
to Clinton and filmed the train
pulling out. I then headed back to Union station and retrieved my bags from the
locker. I phoned home then bought lunch at McDonalds in the station. I then
bought a donut from Krispy Kreme.

I then went
to a vending machine to buy a bottle of Pepsi. I ended up getting two bottles
for the price of one! That would be enough to last me the whole trip on the
Texas Eagle!

Meanwhile,
I called my friend Greg. Greg was a bit surprised to hear from me. I told him
about my ride and that I was going to Dallas
to visit the McKinney Avenue Transit Authority. He told me that two members of
MATA are also members of the IllinoisRailwayMuseum
where Greg is a motorman. I also told him of my ride on the Blue line.

After I was
done with Greg, I called Karl to say hello.

A little
while later, it was time to board. I was seated in Superliner 1 coach-baggage
car #31036, a refurbished coach even though it was in the Phase 4 paint scheme.
I noticed that this was the same train I saw after I got off the Lakeshore
limited. I was disappointed because there was no sightseer lounge car (which
the train usually runs with as well as a diner-lounge).

The train
was pretty full and I got a seatmate. Fortunately, my seatmate wasn’t fat like
my seatmate on the Capitol Limited on my Washington-Cleveland trip. My seatmate
was also getting off in a few hours time which was no big deal.

The Texas
Eagle departed on time. I filmed Amtrak’s 14th
Street yard as we passed. A few minutes later, we
stopped to let the inbound Texas Eagle pass. I noticed Bill wasn’t on board.
The train stopped at Joliet. After
we left, I looked through the two coaches for Bill, but didn’t see him. I
determined he must have missed the train. He hasn’t had much luck as he had
missed the Maple Leaf just over two weeks earlier even though that wasn’t his fault.

The train
stopped at Pontiac and
Bloomington-Normal. My seatmate got off at Bloomington-Normal. I would not get
another seatmate for the rest of the trip. I then got a snack from the Cross
Country Café (which is what Amtrak calls the Diner-Lounge Superliner cars).

The train
stopped at Lincoln and Springfield.
The train was running early, so people were allowed to step off at Springfield.
I used the time to take some photos of the train.

After we
left, I headed to the Cross Country café for dinner. Dinner was pretty
expensive. While I was having dinner, I got a call on my cell phone from a
telemarketer who said the warranty on my vehicle was about to expire. I had
once got a similar call at home and when they wouldn’t say which vehicle, I told
them off! I hung up right away this time.

I took some interior shots of the car before I
returned to my seat. The sun went down. We stopped in Alton.

Outside of St.
Louis, we stopped to let a freight train pass. We were
underway again and I took some photos of the arch.

Since my Arizona
trip, a new train station had been built in St. Louis.
We arrived early and St. Louis was
a smoke stop. I used the opportunity to photograph the train.

I also
photographed Amtrak equipment parked nearby.

After
awhile, the train departed. Just past the station, we stopped to refuel the
locomotive. Why they couldn’t do it at the station, I don’t know. I also
noticed a Horizon fleet coach parked on the track next to us.

We soon
were underway, though we were traveling slowly. The diner-lounge reopened and I
bought some milk before I called it a night.

January 22, 2009:

I got up
shortly before Texarkana. I was
wondering if I would see that woman who I had an argument with on my Arizona
trip about who was responsible for the eastbound Sunset Limited running 12
hours late as she was traveling to Texarkana.
After we left, I walked the train and determined she was not on board.

We were
running early and we stopped at Marshal while I went to breakfast in the
Diner-Lounge. After we finally left, we soon stopped at Longview
where we had a smoke stop. I used the chance to photograph the train.

While we
were at Longview, an Amtrak employee
remarked that the Texas Eagle was getting shorter and shorter all the time. I
was still disappointed we didn’t have a sightseer lounge.

I got back
on the train and we soon left. We stopped in Mineola. We
soon departed and a little while later, the Amtrak crew announced we were 40
minutes away from Dallas.

Soon, we
were approaching Dallas, I got my
stuff together prior to arrival. The Texas Eagle arrived an amazing 42 minutes
EARLY! I got off the train and photographed it.

It was warm
in Dallas; feeling like spring in Toronto.
I went inside Union station to try to buy a weekly pass for DART. I found out I
had to go to Akard station to buy a weekly pass. I bought a one use ticket, but
boarded a DART train going the wrong way. I got off and rode to Akard station
where I bought a weekly pass that allowed unlimited rides on DART as well as
the Trinity Railway Express (TRE) commuter trains. I then rode one stop on the
LRT to the West End station to pick up a bus on route 44
to my hotel.

When my bus
arrived, I ended up missing my stop and got off and rode back, much to my
annoyance. I soon got to my stop and walked three blocks to my hotel. I then
checked in and dropped my stuff off in my room. I then phoned home. I also
phoned John Landrum of the McKinney Avenue Transit Authority to arrange getting
access to the Toronto PCCs. We decided to meet at MATA’s carbarn the following
day at 2:00 pm.

I then
walked back to the bus stop and caught a bus back downtown. I got off at a
hospital which is near the TRE’s MedicalCenter station. I had to wander
through the hospital, and by the time I got to the TRE station, I just missed a
train being pushed by F59Phi #569. I decided to wait for the next one.

The Trinity
Railway Express runs with both bi-level commuter trains led by either an ex GO
Transit F59PH or one of TRE’s F59PHis. TRE has four F59PH’s which GO Transit
sold to them in the early to mid 1990s after budget cuts gave them a surplus of
units. The units are the last four F59’s GO bought. Why GO didn’t sell the four
oldest units, I don’t know.

TRE also
runs a fleet of RDCs. The cars are ex VIA and run mostly during rush hour. I
wanted to ride both types of equipment, especially the ex Canadian equipment.

While I was
waiting for the next eastbound train, I photographed a freight train as it came
through.

My train
arrived a little while later. I photographed it pulling in. It was being pushed
by TRE’s other F59Phi #570.

I rode the train
to Union station and then caught a DART light rail train to 8th & Corinth station and the back to West
End station. I then caught a route 44 bus east as it went on a
bridge over the DART rail yard. I got off after the bridge and walked onto it
to see if I could get a glimpse of the two ex Toronto PCCs, and sure enough, I
did. I walked over to try to get a closer look without trespassing. I managed
to get somewhat close and took a photo.

I then
caught a bus back downtown. I had dinner at McDonald’s. I then caught a Dart
train to Cedars station to wait for a 26 bus back to my hotel, but found it
wasn’t due for awhile. I then photographed a DART train.

Dart has a
fleet of articulated light rail vehicles that they are in the process of
extending the length by the addition of a centre section. The extended cars are
called “Super LRVs”. Throughout my visit to Dallas,
I would ride Super and non-super LRVs.

DART
currently runs two light rail lines: The red line and the blue line. Whenever
there’s a special event at the American Airlines Centre, they run trains to
there as well. Right now, DART is working on building two new lines: The green
line and the orange line. Construction on the Green line was progressing well
and is due to open in the next year or so.

I then rode
back to West End station and eventually caught a route
44 bus back to my hotel. I soon called it a night.